Field
The present application relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to systems, methods, and devices for securely transmitting and receiving discovery and paging messages.
Background
In many telecommunication systems, communications networks are used to exchange messages among several interacting spatially-separated devices. Networks may be classified according to geographic scope, which could be, for example, a metropolitan area, a local area, or a personal area. Such networks would be designated respectively as a wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), local area network (LAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), or personal area network (PAN). Networks also differ according to the switching/routing technique used to interconnect the various network nodes and devices (e.g. circuit switching vs. packet switching), the type of physical media employed for transmission (e.g. wired vs. wireless), and the set of communication protocols used (e.g. Internet protocol suite, SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking), Ethernet, etc.).
Wireless networks are often preferred when the network elements are mobile and thus have dynamic connectivity needs, or if the network architecture is formed in an ad hoc, rather than fixed, topology. Wireless networks employ intangible physical media in an unguided propagation mode using electromagnetic waves in the radio, microwave, infra-red, optical, etc. frequency bands. Wireless networks advantageously facilitate user mobility and rapid field deployment when compared to fixed wired networks.
Devices in a wireless network may transmit and/or receive information to and from each other. The information may comprise packets, which in some aspects may be referred to as data units. The packets may include overhead information (e.g., header information, packet properties, etc.) that helps in routing the packets through the network, identifying the data in the packets, processing the packets, etc. The packets may further include data, such as user data, multimedia content, etc. that may be carried in a payload of the packet. Packets may additionally be used to introduce two different devices communicating on a medium. The communication medium may be shared by multiple devices and may be monitored by potentially harmful devices seeking to misuse (e.g., intercept, replay, etc.) the communicated packets. Thus, improved systems, methods, and devices for securing the communication of packets or messages transmitted and/or received via the medium are desired.